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Anjan
Anjan

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zs: One Command to Rule Your Zed Setup

#zed #productivity #developertools #automation

zs: One Command to Rule Your Zed Setup

TL;DR: Tired of manually configuring Zed for every project? Just run zs. It auto-detects your project type, installs debug dependencies, creates tasks, and sets up git hooks. Zero configuration required.

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AnjanJ/zs/main/install.sh | bash
cd any-project
zs
✅ Rails project ready (15 tasks, debugging enabled)
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The Problem

Every time I switched projects in Zed, I found myself:

  • 🔧 Manually creating .zed/tasks.json for that specific framework
  • 🐛 Setting up debug configurations (that never quite worked)
  • 📦 Installing language-specific debug adapters
  • 🔒 Configuring different git hooks for work vs personal projects
  • 😤 Googling the same configurations over and over

Multiply this by switching between Rails, React, Python, and Elixir projects daily... you get the idea.

The Solution: zs

After one too many manual setups, I decided to automate everything. The goal? Zero cognitive load.

cd ~/work/canvas-lti-app
zs
✅ Rails project ready (21 tasks, debugging enabled)
  → Work project: commits need 'Refs: JIRA-XXXX'
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That's it. No flags. No options. No decisions.

How It Works

zs is built on a simple philosophy: The best interface is no interface.

When you run zs, it:

  1. Detects your project type automatically

    • Rails? ✓ (Gemfile + config/application.rb)
    • React? ✓ (package.json with react dependency)
    • Python? ✓ (requirements.txt)
    • Elixir? ✓ (mix.exs)

  2. Installs only what Zed needs

    • Ruby: debug gem (provides rdbg)
    • Python: debugpy
    • Elixir: elixir-ls
    • Nothing else - no bundle install or npm install

  3. Creates proper configurations

    • .zed/tasks.json with framework-specific tasks
    • .zed/debug.json with working debug configs (using Zed's format, not VS Code's!)

  4. Configures smart git hooks

    • Work projects: Reminds about JIRA tickets
    • Personal projects: Standard format
    • Never blocks, just reminds

  5. Reports success in one line

    • ✅ Project ready (15 tasks)

⚠️ Note on Debugging Support

Debugging in Zed is still evolving, and we're actively testing configurations:

  • Ruby: Experimental support via debug gem
  • Python: Full support with debugpy
  • JavaScript/TypeScript: Full support
  • Elixir: Not yet supported in Zed

We're updating configurations as Zed's debugging capabilities mature. Your mileage may vary!

Real-World Examples

Rails Project 

// Auto-generated .zed/tasks.json includes:
{
  "label": "💎 Rails Server",
  "command": "bundle",
  "args": ["exec", "rails", "server"]
},
{
  "label": "🧪 Run Current Test File",
  "command": "bundle", 
  "args": ["exec", "rspec", "$ZED_FILE"]
},
// ... 13 more tasks
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Work vs Personal Context 

# Personal project
cd ~/code/my-app
zs
✅ Rails project ready (15 tasks, debugging enabled)

# Work project (auto-detected from path)
cd ~/work/enterprise-app
zs
✅ Rails project ready (21 tasks, debugging enabled)
  → Work project: commits need 'Refs: JIRA-XXXX'
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Smart Caching 

# First run
zs
✅ React project ready (16 tasks, debugging enabled)

# Run again
zs
✅ Already configured (react project)
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The Hidden Power

While the interface is minimal, zs packs some smart features:

  • 30-day refresh: Automatically updates stale configs
  • Docker awareness: Adjusts commands for containerized environments
  • .nohooks file: Disable git hooks when needed
  • Force refresh: zs force (hidden feature for power users)

Performance

Setup time: < 100ms ⚡

That's faster than opening the tasks menu in most editors.

Installation 

# One-time install
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AnjanJ/zs/main/install.sh | bash
source ~/.zshrc

# Then forever
cd any-project
zs
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The Philosophy

After building increasingly complex configurations, I realized the best solution was radical simplification:

  • ❌ 10+ commands → ✅ 1 command
  • ❌ Multiple flags → ✅ 0 flags
  • ❌ Verbose output → ✅ 1 line
  • ❌ Manual validation → ✅ Automatic
  • ❌ Decision fatigue → ✅ Zero decisions

As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said: "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Open Source

zs is MIT licensed and open for contributions. The entire brain is just 231 lines of shell script.

🌟 GitHub: AnjanJ/zs

Special features for contributors:

  • Plugin system for custom project types
  • Team configurations via .zsrc
  • CI/CD ready with GitHub Actions

What's Next?

Currently, zs supports:

  • Rails / Ruby
  • React / Node.js
  • Python
  • Elixir
  • LTI projects
  • Docker environments

Want support for your stack? PRs welcome!

Try It Now

If you use Zed and switch between projects, give zs a try:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AnjanJ/zs/main/install.sh | bash
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Then just run zs in any project. That's it.

One command. Zero configuration. Pure productivity.

If zs saves you time, give it a star on GitHub. If you have ideas for improvement, I'd love to hear them!

What repetitive tasks do you automate in your development workflow? Let me know in the comments!

Anjan Jagirdar is a developer who believes the best tools get out of your way. When not automating workflows, he's probably debugging why his automation isn't working.

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